Dear Editor:
Why remove what is needed?
Ambleside businesses took another hit (June 20) as West Vancouver mayor and council unanimously endorsed the Ambleside Waterfront Plan. As a business owner on Bellevue Avenue I again asked council to consider the impact of the removal of the Argyle parking on Ambleside businesses and consider finding new parking locations before removing the ones on Argyle.
This parking is mostly used by park visitors, and with the removal of this parking, the park-goers will move to an already jammed Bellevue Avenue and Marine Drive, which severely impacts parking spaces used by the customers of the Ambleside merchants.
Ambleside businesses lost 90+ spots to the Grosvenor development, and now 120+ spots along Argyle. Coun. Craig Cameron’s comment that we are in a new reality now, where people need to ride bikes, walk and use public transit, did not address the “real” reality that businesses need parking. I believe Park Royal proves this point very well.
The “real” reality is quite different than council’s utopian view. People taking their child to the doctor, dog to the vet, buying groceries, pants, paint, pizza or picture frames are not going to strap these items and their two kids to their back and pedal up 15th Street to the top of the British Properties or out to Horseshoe Bay.
I again ask mayor and council to find new parking in Ambleside before removing the parking on Argyle.
David Jones
West Vancouver
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